LLM's when leaned on too heavily, have a tendency to destroy critical thought, or perhaps more accurately replace it.

It is similar to a spell checker, while spell checkers improve spelling in general, they do not improve a persons spelling ability. Instead acting as a crutch. No need to spell well when the machine will do it for you.

Some people really like expanding their thoughts via LLM prompt. Some so much it acts like a big crutch, no need to think coherently, the machine will do it for you. So they use the LLM for everything.

As a related tangent something is messed up in my web browser spell checker, it gives the red squiggles indicating a misspelling, but refuses to give suggested corrections. I would fix it but... My spelling ability has never been better than it is right now.

Some bots are trying to influence conversations on some topic, and they comment on neutral topics to build up karma or whatever.

Also, some people are weirdos.

There are HN accounts that have been shadow-banned for years, and yet they keep posting despite few people ever seeing their posts. They're not LLMs AFAICT, but they just keep posting into the void.

So why use an LLM for commenting? See above, people are weird.

> Like what does it gain the person doing it

Time / quantity.

Pre-LLMs you needed a whole "marketing" agency to astroturf on a meaningful scale. Post-LLMs a single person can run multiple astroturfing campaigns in parallel.

Build up karma to expand the reach of future promotional posts.

Marketing and influcence.

For example, consider this prompt -- "Find topics that would be relevant to people interested in <company> and post a topical post that mentions <product>".

Also, influencing public opinion on certain topics, such as Israel or Palestine, the current administration, the democrats, the various wars that are ongoing, or AI itself.

Steelmaning it: perhaps people who cannot write to save their life are tired of grammar Nazis correcting them? (Admittedly since the llms I have noticed less and less people being pedantic about these things, perhaps it is like the ill fitting cupboard door signaling that this is handmade)